


Chad Z

by foryouandbits



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon typical alcohol use, LAX bros - Freeform, M/M, OMC pov, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22840855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foryouandbits/pseuds/foryouandbits
Summary: Chad Z fell in love, and not just with the pie."First rule of the LAX team, Chad? Fuck the Hockey bros," said Chad F after he turned around.I mean,thought Chad Z,that doesn't sound so bad.___Inspired from a submitted post from Shitty-Check-Please-AUs where "The Lax bro captain Chad Z competes with Jack for Bitty's affection."
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 62
Kudos: 207





	Chad Z

**Author's Note:**

> I meant this to be a 500 word crack fic and it turned into a 5000 word angst bomb. Sorry?
> 
> Also let's pretend Chad L from canon is Chad Z.

The Lacrosse house always smelled like yesterday's pizza and leftover cups of beer. Upon first entering it, Chad Z had been warned by Chad F to stay clear of the left side of the back porch, because it was technically condemned, but it wasn't like anyone had come to check if they fixed it. The air conditioning smelled like something died in it, which Chad S said was possible. Chad Z wondered how anyone could ever actually spend time there, much less live there. He was just about to leave and go back to his dorm where he probably wouldn't be killed by black mold when he spotted a small blond boy walking up Jason Street, holding what looked like a pie. 

Chad Z fell in love, and not just with the pie.

Unfortunately, the blond boy walked right up to the hockey house and was greeted warmly by Mr. Shitface and the entitled Zimmermann kid. Chad F yelled, "FUCK YOU BRAH!" across the street. The blond boy turned bright red and Mr. Shitface yelled, "AND FUCK YOUR MA TOO, ASSHOLE!"

"First rule of the LAX team, Chad? Fuck the Hockey bros," said Chad F after he turned around.

 _I mean,_ thought Chad Z, _that doesn't sound so bad._

He was still a freshman and that meant he still was fighting for a spot on the team, so breaking rule number one in front of others seemed like a bad idea, but the blond boy — whose name, for some reason, turned out to be Bitty — was just perfect in every way. He had an endearing southern accent, which maybe was polite or maybe it was flirty, but one time Bitty picked up a pencil Chad Z dropped on the ground and said, "Here you go, hun," and Chad Z was so red he couldn't even reply. Bitty always had a smile on his face. Bitty always smelled like baked goods. And as the semester went on, Bitty went from a scrawny boy to a lithe, sexy man. Rule or no rule, nothing could stop Chad Z from staring at him in Founder's, in Commons, across the Lake Quad, and even, just the once, at a hockey game. 

The hockey game was fortuitous for Chad Z. After nearly a year of watching Bitty become more and more of a Forbidden Hockey Bro and less of someone who might be interested in maybe coming back to his dorm and doing sexy things together, the hockey bros made it to the regional playoffs. Those regional playoffs just so happened to take place in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which just so happened to be near Chad Z's hometown. Bridgeport was over two hours away from Samwell and none of the LAX bros kept track of the hockey bros' schedule, so Chad Z said he was going to chill at home for the weekend and nobody seemed the wiser. 

There was always the risk he would be spotted by one of the rival bros, so he sat far away. It was a great spot to stay hidden. It was a horrible spot when Bitty got upended by a large opposing player, lost his helmet, and fell face-first onto the ice.

Chad Z yelped and rushed toward the front of the section when he spotted that asshole Jack Zimmermann skate right for Bitty and kneel next to him. The concern on Jack's face was evident from here, and Chad Z knew that look. That wasn't a captain worried about his teammate; that was probably the same expression on Chad Z's face as he looked down upon the love of his life, helpless to do anything.

 _That's how it's going to be then, huh?_ Chad Z thought as he watched Jack Zimmermann hovering possessively over Bitty. _It's on._

***

Part of the LAX house may have been legally condemned, and the stench may have been so powerful Chad Z sometimes felt light headed while there, but it was still just across the street from the hockey house, and the hockey house was where Eric Bittle would be living his sophomore year. Chad Z, therefore, accepted Chad F's offer of his old room. All of the cons of living in the house went right out the broken window the very first day Chad Z lived there, when he realized that if Bitty opened his blinds, Chad Z could see right in his room. 

It was a glorious day to begin with, weather-wise at least, and Bitty threw open his windows not long after he entered his room. Within moments Chad Z could hear the sound of Beyoncé floating across the street, and he watched as Bitty began to dance a little as he unpacked his boxes. Bitty could dance very well. This was great. This was going to be a great year.

Then, just as Bitty began shaking his little ass in his little blue shorts, gloomy Jack Zimmermann in his black T-shirt and his dark jeans sidled into the room like he lived there too. Bitty said something to him and tried to get him to dance too, but Jack did not dance. Chad Z would have danced. Regardless of Jack's firm resistance, Bitty still laughed and put his hands on Jack like it was nothing. Jack left the room and proceeded to walk directly across the hall into his own.

 _Fuck,_ thought Chad Z, as he watched Bitty glance over his shoulder toward Jack's room, a bigger smile on his face. There was less time than he thought.

***

It had been difficult to find Bitty alone freshman year, but it was even worse sophomore year. If he wasn't with the small team manager (Chad Z thought they called her Lardo but that sounded like a horrible name for the only woman on the team), he was with the extremely loud and obnoxious Ransom and Holster, or the extremely loud and obnoxious freshmen, or even worse, with Jack. Bitty was with Jack a lot. Bitty was with Jack too much.

Chad Z had to change tactics. It was entirely too difficult to approach Bitty in neutral territory. They had one gen ed together first semester sophomore year, but unfortunately Derek Nurse (Nursey? Nursery? Fuck, these hockey bros had confusing names) was also in this class, which meant when Chad Z attempted to sit next to Bitty, Nursey said, "Fuck off, LAX bro," and stared him down until he picked a seat across the lecture hall. Those hockey bros were too loyal too fast. The semester and that class were both a waste — Chad Z was never able to get Bitty alone and he was so distracted by the back of Bitty's head and his glorious new undercut that Chad Z bombed the final and was going to have to retake the class spring semester.

The night before Chad Z was going home for winter break, the hockey house threw a party so epic that Chad Z could not resist the temptation to slide inside. It wasn't like anyone would notice him, not with that many people there, and if he wore a hat and neutral clothing, it was probable he wouldn't be recognized. The hardest part was slipping out of the LAX house without being spotted — the other Chads were keeping watch on the porch. Chad Z risked his life on the back porch, but was able to sneak a few houses down, cross over to the opposite side of the street, and hide within a group of soccer dudes as they hyped each other up over the "epikegster" they were about to enter.

It was packed in the house, which was annoying for trying to find his beloved Bitty, but also fortunate for appreciating the decor. While Chad Z had never actually been inside the hockey house before, Bitty's presence jumped out from every corner. The structure of the house itself wasn't that much better than the LAX house, but it smelled like cookies. It had curtains. It had rugs. It had Bitty, and that made it monumentally better than Chad Z's home.

Despite the size of the house, the sheer volume of bodies meant Chad Z didn't actually find Bitty for over an hour. In that time, he found three shots and something heinous called tub juice that was so strong the room began to spin before he was done with the cup. He did finish the cup, though, because by the end of it he felt like he could do anything, including actually talk to Eric Bittle.

Chad Z finally spotted him in the party room. He was gorgeous, as usual, with his white V-neck T-shirt doing all the right things for him. It was warm enough inside that he could probably lose the hoodie, but the boy was from Georgia after all, so the furnace and the bodies probably weren't enough to keep him warm. (Chad Z could keep him warm. Chad Z had _so many_ ideas on how to keep him warm). Chad Z was about to march up to him and ask him to dance when Bitty placed a hand to his chest and turned on an obvious set of heart eyes, but those heart eyes were not directed at Chad Z. 

Someone moved out of the way and revealed Chad Z's worst nightmare: Bitty was making heart eyes at Jack Zimmermann, and Jack Zimmermann was telling a tale meant to impress. Chad Z lost all of his nerve as the two of them huddled close together, the movement familiar and commonplace. Bitty lifted his phone to take a selfie but then, before they could get in position, Jack turned and went white as a sheet. Chad Z looked over; it was Kent Parson.

With Kent Parson brought a wave of commotion and fangirls, who pushed Chad Z out of the party room in an attempt to get closer to the NHL legend that, in all fairness, Chad Z only knew because he started paying attention to hockey now that the love of his life played the sport. Chad Z didn't really care about Kent Parson (it was impressive that he was at a college party, though), but it still took another forty-five minutes before Chad Z could track down Bitty again.

They ran into each other in the hallway. Chad Z saw him coming and maneuvered around people to ensure their paths crossed. Bitty, one hand on his phone and a worried expression on his face, looked up at Chad Z for the very first time. His eyes were enormous and they were breathtaking. 

"Hi," Chad Z said, and then immediately thought, _Smooth, Chad Z._

"Hi," said Bitty, but his expression didn't change. "Excuse me —"

"You're Bitty, right?" Chad Z asked.

"Um, yeah, I have to —"

"WHO LET A LAX BRO IN THIS MOTHERFUCKING HOUSE?" yelled someone from inside the den. Chad Z looked to the left at the source of the sound and Bitty slipped right by him. 

"No, wait," said Chad Z but before he could reach out for Bitty, a pair of hands grabbed him on the shoulders. He looked behind him to see Holster, the large defenseman who Chad Z once voted Most Likely to Murder him, holding tightly to Chad Z's shoulders.

"You have two seconds to get the fuck out of my house before I throw you over the fence," Holster said.

Chad Z laughed nervously. "Sorry, man."

"Get out."

Holster pushed him roughly forward through the hallway, through the front door, and onto the porch. Bitty was also out here, talking to Mr. Shitface, but Chad Z had no opportunity to say something before Holster pushed him down the stairs and onto the front sidewalk. Chad Z managed to keep his footing and turned back, but Holster stared him down, so he had no choice but to walk across the street back home.

***

The rest of sophomore year was a waste. Living in the LAX house was a waste. Bitty was never alone and while Chad Z might have had the nerve to approach him before, now after the incident with Holster, it seemed the entire team had been alerted of the intrusion. Bitty was now strictly off-limits, and Chad Z finished his sophomore year regretting every decision he had made thus far.

He was determined to make junior year better. Over the summer he discovered that the maid's brother lived in the Boston area and owned a contracting business, so he was able to get the back porch repaired, remove the dead animal smell from the air ducts, and fix the broken windows. The LAX house was now livable, although it was still old, and the stale beer smell would not go away as long as they had boys who left open cups of beer everywhere and never cleaned up after themselves. 

Junior year was going to be great, not just because of the improvements to the house, but because Jack Zimmermann and Mr. Shitface had now graduated. Ransom and Holster still unfortunately lived in the house, but Bitty was no longer spending every moment of every day with a teammate, and Chad Z had seen him more than once around campus without an escort.

It wasn't that easy, though. Holster alerted the entire team of Chad Z's infiltration, which meant Bitty might know who he was and not think very kindly of him, but Bitty was by far the nicest person on the team. At the very worst he would politely tell Chad Z to leave him alone, and at the very best they would kiss, have sex, get married, and adopt five children and three dogs. Chad Z was excited for the latter but more worried about the former, so it took until October before he even attempted to approach Bitty.

He had the perfect opportunity. Bitty was alone, which was great, and then he proceeded to drop several dozen flashcards on the sidewalk, which was even better. Chad Z rushed forward to help. "Here," he said as he picked up a few flashcards of what looked like French vocabulary words. "Let me help you with those."

"Oh, thank you so much," said Bitty, and he looked right up at Chad Z. Chad Z smiled at him and he smiled politely back. Bitty did not recognize him. While disappointing in its own right, since Chad Z had been admiring him for more than two years now, it was a relief that Bitty did not place him as a member of the LAX team. Even better, Bitty smiled at him, and Chad Z felt his heart swell a thousand times in his chest at his fortune. Nothing in the world could replace that beautiful, timid smile.

"French, huh?" Chad Z asked.

"Yeah, I gotta get my language requirement done and this seemed like the best option. It's not, but it seemed like the best option when I made my schedule," said Bitty, and Chad Z laughed, which made Bitty smile again. This was going really well.

They picked up all the flash cards and Bitty gratefully accepted Chad Z's stack. Their hands touched in the transfer and Chad Z's whole body exploded into fire at the feel of Bitty's soft skin. "Thank you again," Bitty said. "I would have been super late for this quiz."

"Where are you headed?" Chad Z asked.

Bitty pointed at a building across the quad.

"Me too," said Chad Z, which was a lie, but Bitty didn't outwardly protest as they started walking in that direction. "You're on the hockey team, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Bitty asked, and Chad Z pointed at his sweatshirt. Bitty looked down at his crimson sweatshirt and then proceeded to blush the same color. "Oh, duh. Yeah, I'm on the hockey team."

"That's cool. What position do you play?" asked Chad Z, who did not reveal that he not only knew the answer to this question, but also Bitty's stats from last season, and that their first game against Quinnipiac was coming up soon.

"Forward," said Bitty.

They arrived at the building and Bitty started heading up the steps in a hurry. Chad Z saw his opportunity going up the stairs without him and swallowed hard. "Um, hey, this is kind of random," said Chad Z, which caused Bitty to stop and turn around, "But you wouldn't want to maybe get coffee later? After your quiz."

"Oh," said Bitty, his eyebrows up in surprise. "Um, I can't. I have another class right after."

"We don't have to go right away, but —"

Bitty stepped up another stair and Chad Z's heart plummeted to his feet. "I'm sorry," said Bitty. "I'm very flattered, and you're cute and all, but I can't. I'm sorry."

Bitty turned and ran into the building. Chad Z remained at the base of the stairs and another student brushed by him with a gentle laugh and a mutter of, "Ouch, bro."

 _Ouch indeed,_ thought Chad Z, who turned in the opposite direction and headed right back home.

When he arrived, Chad M and Chad G were sitting on the new living room couch (well, it was sort of new. Chad M found it advertised for free on Craigslist and it was hideous, yet comfortable) with someone from the hockey team. After that rejection, Chad Z was not in the mood to see any hockey bros, much less have one of them in the house, where hockey bros were forbidden.

"Chad, what the fuck?" Chad Z asked.

"Naw, man, Connor's cool," said Chad G, but from their proximity on the couch, it was clear Chad G found Connor more than just cool.

"Hey," said Connor.

"Whatevs. I'm going upstairs," said Chad Z, and he turned, but then paused and turned back. He looked directly at Connor, whose name in the hockey world was probably not Connor, and said, "You know that guy Bitty on your team?"

"…Yeah?" Connor asked, one thin eyebrow raised into his hair. 

"Is he single?"

"Fuck, bro, and you were giving me beef about bringing Connor in the house!" Chad G exclaimed loudly.

"I'm just asking!" Chad Z said, both of his hands in the air. "I don't want to date him. I just wanted to know if he ever got together with that Jack guy."

"I don't know," said Connor. "He's not exactly my favorite person. Don't know much about him. And Jack's in the NHL now…so."

Connor did not elaborate further. Chad Z decided Connor was not his favorite person.

***

In April, Chad Z started looking at off-campus apartments. Living in the LAX house, even after all the improvements, was starting to be toxic. Bitty was always there across the street. He'd play Beyoncé and the Hamilton soundtrack and would dance in front of his window in his little shorts and sometimes would close his blinds but not his window and Chad Z could hear him doing it with someone, although Chad Z never saw who. The sex noises explained the rejection back in October, and only solidified that Chad Z desperately needed to move on.

He was just days from signing a lease when the team voted on a captain for the following school year, and he unexpectedly received the honor, which meant he was stuck in the house for another year. The nod was surprising, but not as surprising as walking into the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning to find a half-naked Connor Whisk (who, Chad Z learned, the hockey boys called Whiskey). Connor startled; he clearly did not expect to be found.

"Um," said Connor.

"Bro, I know I should care, but I don't care," said Chad Z.

"I'm not out, though," said Connor. "And I'm not… I have a girlfriend. Back home."

"You better figure your shit out then," said Chad Z. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back toward the stairs.

"Chad told me you're captain?" Connor said before Chad Z could leave the room.

He turned. "Yeah."

"Bitty's captain too. Just… so you know."

Chad Z's heart fluttered with hope. Captains had meetings. Captains spoke to each other. That didn't erase the fact that Bitty still snuck at least one boy into his bed at night. 

"He's not single, is he?" Chad Z asked. Connor shook his head, but he didn't elaborate. "I knew it. Thanks, Connor. And, bro — you're safe here. The last thing I want to do is out you if you don't want to be out. Our number one rule might be 'Fuck the hockey bros,' but nobody's going to fault you for taking it literally."

Connor smirked. "Thanks," he said.

***

In June, Jack Zimmermann kissed Eric Bittle live on national television, and Chad Z threw his shoe through the window of his childhood bedroom in Connecticut.

***

He was seriously considering transferring. UCONN would take him and he could probably join their lacrosse team, but even if he didn't, his parents could afford tuition. The Samwell team would be fine without him — it wasn't like he was expecting to be their captain. He went as far as submitting transcripts when he was told only half of his credits would transfer and he'd be in school another year to complete his degree. That was ridiculous. He just wanted to be done with this shit, get his worthless business administration degree, and start his entry level job at his father's Fortune 500 company in Stamford. That's all he was worth and all he was headed for, and if he couldn't have Bitty, he at least needed to get on with his life as soon as possible.

There were hundreds of queer boys at Samwell and when Chad Z returned to campus he tried to find one that could fill the void of a three-year-long unrequited crush, but everybody was horrible and even the ones that looked like Bitty, or sounded like Bitty, were definitely not Bitty. Chad Z dreaded the first Samwell Athletics Captains' meeting, but then Bitty walked in and everything changed. He had on a denim jacket. God, that boy looked good.

The captain of the women's rugby team snatched him up and started talking to him, so Chad Z turned away and tried to get the picture of Bitty and that jacket out of his head when he heard his name. 

"…Even Chad Z from Lacrosse," she said.

Chad Z turned back around. Bitty, once again, did not seem to recognize him, which meant at least one of them forgot that disastrous proposition almost a year ago. Chad Z shot Bitty a thumbs-up and said, "Five on the beef. Brush the fuckin' NARP goss and rip ched all season, bro. Ripped."

Bitty's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Oh. Um, thank you?" he replied.

 _What. The fuck. Did I just say?_ Chad Z asked himself, because he was not entirely sure. 

Chad Z turned away again, his cheeks red, and left the meeting shortly after. He needed to replace Bitty and pronto, but as he left Annie's and headed back toward the house, he realized he was not alone. 

"Chad! Hey, Chad?"

He looked over his shoulder, but he didn't need to look to know that voice. Bitty ran out of Annie's and in his direction. Chad Z stopped walking and envisioned Bitty running into his arms and kissing him, but Bitty remained a polite distance and kept his hands to himself. "Do you live in the LAX house?"

"I do," said Chad Z, and he was thankful his mouth hadn't spewed nonsense again.

"Is Whiskey there a lot? Connor Whisk, he's a sophomore now?"

Chad Z took the briefest of moments to appreciate Bitty's face, from his big eyes, his small, upturned nose, to his pointy chin. He'd grown up a lot in three years, although he was still the same height. It was a good height. Not too short. It made Chad Z happy he'd never reached six foot.

After the moment of appreciation, Chad Z pursed his lips as he tried to figure out why Bitty was asking this question. "He hangs with us sometimes, yeah."

"Is he okay?" Bitty asked. "I ask because he doesn't spend a lot of time with the team, but he has a lot of potential. Like, he could definitely play in the NHL, but he's got to be a team player if he's ever going to be scouted. I don't know him very well and despite how much I try, he just can't seem to open up to me. Does he open up to y'all?"

"Yeah, somewhat. I think he's just shy," said Chad Z. "You probably have more in common with him than you think."

"Does he ever talk about us?" Bitty asked.

Chad Z shook his head. "No, not really. He likes it on the team fine, I guess."

Bitty frowned, his lower lip a small pout that Chad Z wanted to kiss. He stuffed his hands in his pockets instead. 

"Hey, I read that article in the daily. About you and your…your boyfriend," Chad Z said. The word was hard to say. "I'm glad you were able to come out the way you wanted. I was kind of worried you'd have news crews on the lawn when school started."

"Nah, it was just the Swallow, and Dex and Nursey scared 'em off with a fire extinguisher," said Bitty with a laugh. "Thank you, though. It's been an interesting summer, to say the least, but Jack and I can finally be happy. Be ourselves."

"Great," said Chad Z, and he forced a smile before he left. Bitty waved happily at him before he ran back inside, and Chad Z fought back tears all the way home.

***

Graduation was a blessing. Graduation meant he was free of Samwell, free of the LAX house, free of Eric Bittle. The hockey team winning the championship meant Bitty was everywhere Chad Z looked from April to graduation in May. They were even seated near each other during commencement, completely by accident. Chad Z had to stare at Bitty's graduation cap and his recently trimmed hairline at the nape of his neck for two straight hours before he walked the stage, got his picture and his degree, and then was finally free of this place.

"You want to take a walk around campus before we head out?" his father asked once Chad Z found his family after the ceremony. "Say goodbye to your alma mater?"

Chad Z did not want to do anything but get the fuck out and go home, but his father seemed to think this was necessary, so they walked along the Pond, along the river, by Founders and the North Quad. Chad Z was not leading the way, but they ended up in front of Faber anyway, and he realized for the first time that an unnecessary four-year feud with the hockey team meant that he'd never actually been inside of it.

"Did you watch a lot of the games here?" his mother asked, and Chad Z shook his head.

"No. I've never been inside," he said.

"Oh, well if it's open you should go in! You can't leave without ever being inside!"

There were plenty of buildings Chad Z had never actually been inside, but this was the only regret he had. Maybe if he hadn't taken the feud so seriously, he would have been able to talk to Bitty right away. Maybe he would have been able to ask him on a date freshman year rather than after he had a boyfriend. Maybe then he and Bitty would have sat together on purpose, holding hands as they listened to inspirational words tell them about how they were timebombs of untapped potential. He was not a timebomb of untapped potential. He was the son of a CEO and all of his potential came from nepotism and old money.

The door was open, so they went inside. It wasn't as cold as he expected it to be, but the building was a little chilly. Despite the building being open it seemed empty, but when they approached the stands, Chad Z realized it was not the case. Two people were standing on the ice and another dozen or so were sitting in the stands watching. Chad Z headed down the stairs, curious, and then just as he hit ice level, he realized it was Jack and Bitty. As he watched, Bitty held up a sign that made Jack's face light up in delight. Chad Z craned his neck to see it and his heart lurched when he did: _Yo Marry Me Jack Zimmermann._

"NO!" he yelled.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? THERE'S A LAX BRO HERE?" Mr. Shitface yelled from the stands.

Jack and Bitty were staring, the proposal halted. Chad Z had no idea how to get on the ice but he needed to get on the ice. He found a door and pulled it open, and then slipped his way across the slick surface until he was standing right in front of Bitty, who looked both embarrassed and confused.

"…Chad?" Bitty asked, unsure.

"Yes, it's Chad!" yelled Chad Z bitterly. "The same Chad who saw you the day you brought a pie to the hockey house freshman year, the same Chad who tried to talk to you at the Christmas Kegster sophomore year, the same Chad who asked you out last year and the same Chad from the captains' meetings this year. You know who I am!"

"…What are you doing here?" Bitty asked.

"TELL HIM TO FUCK OFF, THIS IS A SPECIAL, LIFE-ALERTING MOMENT THAT HE IS FUCKING RUINING!" yelled Mr. Shitface.

"We are kind of in the middle of something here," said Jack.

"I know, and you can't," said Chad Z to Bitty. "You can't marry him. I love you. _I_ love you. You should marry me."

"Oh snap!" yelled Ransom. 

"Plot twist!" yelled Holster.

"Um…" said Bitty, who was now bright red and near tears. "I'm sorry, which Chad are you again?"

"Chad Z!" yelled Chad Z.

This clarification did not seem to help. Mr. Shitface jumped onto the ice and grabbed Chad Z by the arm. "That's enough, bruh. You said your piece, you ruined a beautiful moment, and now you've got to go."

"I'm very sorry," said Bitty.

"Don't apologize, Bits," said Mr. Shitface. "You did nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry if I led you on in any way," continued Bitty, as if Mr. Shitface had not spoken. "I'm sorry that I don't love you, or even really remember who you are. But… please leave."

Chad Z looked between Jack, who'd lost any sort of composure and now looked about ready to punch Chad Z's face in, to Bitty, who was now in tears. Mr. Shitface was right; he'd just ruined the most special moment in Bitty's life and was rejected again because of it.

"I'm sorry," said Chad Z. "I'm sorry I interrupted. Congratulations."

Mr. Shitface pushed him off the ice and into a tunnel. Bitty turned to Jack as he broke down in tears, and Jack held him tightly. The occupants of the bleachers all stared at him. He looked back over at his parents. His mother had her hand over her eyes and his father was shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he said again to Mr. Shitface.

"Just get out. Get out and stay out."

Chad turned and left, cursing himself, and cursing this school for ever existing in the first place.

**Author's Note:**

> Pop by [my tumblr](https://foryouandbits.tumblr.com/) and say hi!
> 
> Visit [Shitty-Check-Please-AUs](https://shitty-check-please-aus.tumblr.com/) too!


End file.
